Parliamentary parties in both countries have called for a review of the joint hosting arrangement, citing the migrant crisis in Ceuta and Morocco's human rights violations as the main reasons.
The organization of the 2030 FIFA World Cup has found itself facing a serious challenge after political parties in Spain and Portugal launched initiatives to break cooperation with Morocco. The trigger is the migrant crisis on the Ceuta border, with key players accusing Morocco of "serious human rights violations" and using migrants as a tool of political pressure.
Spain's parliamentary party Sumar presented a bill in Congress on Wednesday that would see Spain withdraw from the joint organization of the tournament. The proposal, signed by four lawmakers, including Izquierda Unida deputy Nahuel González, calls on the government to formally communicate its position to FIFA, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), and the Portuguese authorities.
In the rationale for its request, Sumar emphasizes that "football cannot be used to whitewash everything" and calls for "the need to conduct a specific review and evaluation of the current model of joint World Cup organization." The party warns that if FIFA refuses to reconsider the current model, the executive should consider alternatives and "act in a manner consistent with democratic principles and human rights."
Sumar's proposal also demands concrete steps. They require the Spanish Football Federation to promote "an independent, public, and up-to-date human rights risk assessment" and for the executive to submit to Congress within a maximum of six months "a report on the guarantees assumed, public funds spent, existing contractual instruments, alternatives to the current co-organization model, and the consequences of each scenario."
Almost simultaneously, a similar initiative was launched in Portugal. The Portuguese Green Party has called for Morocco to be removed from the organization of the next World Cup, stating that "Morocco's participation in co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain has become untenable."
In its press release, the Portuguese Greens call for a "reassessment of Morocco's participation," citing "decades of systematic human rights violations by the Moroccan regime against its own people, or the denial of self-determination and violent repression of the Sahrawi people." They also highlighted the "instrumentalization of Moroccan citizens in Ceuta, including minors, to attack the borders with Spain."
The party concluded that "this event confirms that there are no political conditions or guarantees of security and loyal cooperation between Morocco and Spain and Portugal to maintain this joint organization."
The roots of the current crisis date back to June 2021, when the European Parliament, in its resolution of June 10, condemned "Morocco's use of border control and migration, particularly unaccompanied minors, as a mechanism of political pressure on Spain." Spanish and Portuguese politicians now cite this resolution, calling for it to be considered as key background for reconsidering the entire project.
The whole situation puts FIFA in an unenviable position. The demands from Spain and Portugal are growing louder, and Sumar's proposal explicitly mentions the possibility of the Spanish Football Federation activating institutional channels within FIFA to verify compliance with Article 3 of its Statutes, which "explicitly obliges the organization to respect internationally recognized human rights."
It is worth recalling that the 2026 World Cup ended just over two weeks ago, and FIFA now faces a potentially massive problem that could lead to the complete collapse of the agreed joint hosting model for the 2030 tournament.
